MEMBERSHIP ASSEMBLY POLICY DEVELOPMENT GUIDE 2022 - LS-PRO-028
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2022
MEMBERSHIP ASSEMBLY
POLICY DEVELOPMENT GUIDE
LS-PRO-028
Table of Contents Introduction 2 Section 1: Questions to Consider Before Developing a Proposal 3 Section 2: Membership Assembly Policy Development Process 4 Section 3: Review of Proposals 5 Section 4: Consideration of Emergent Proposals 6 Section 5: Onsite Dialogue Forums 7 Section 6: Report of the ANA Professional Policy Committee 8 Section 7: After the Membership Assembly Meeting 9 Appendix A: Related ANA Enterprise’s 2020-2023 Strategic Goals 10 Appendix B: Engaging Members in the Call for Proposals 12 Appendix C: Proposal Form - Sample 14 Appendix D: 2021-2022 Timelines 17 LS-PRO-028
Introduction
While there are several formal mechanisms by which policies and positions for the American Nurses
Association (ANA) are identified and developed, the focus of the Membership Assembly Policy
Development Guide is on the process by which policies and positions are considered by ANA’s
governing body, the ANA Membership Assembly.
One of the Membership Assembly’s most important responsibilities is to set policies and positions for
ANA. The policies and positions approved by the Membership Assembly provide guidance to the
profession of nursing and establish ANA’s point of view on relevant nursing practice issues, health
policy, and/or related social concerns.
The policy and position topics considered by the Membership Assembly are generated by
Constituent/State Nurses Associations (C/SNAs), the Individual Member Division (IMD), Organizational
Affiliates (OAs), individual ANA-C/SNA or IMD members, and the ANA Board of Directors.
This Guide includes the following information:
Section 1: Questions to Consider Before Submitting a Proposal
Section 2: Membership Assembly Policy Development Process
Section 3: Review of Proposals
Section 4: Consideration of Emergent Proposals
Section 5: Onsite Dialogue Forums
Section 6: Report of the Professional Policy Committee
Section 7: After the Membership Assembly Meeting
The Appendices includes the following information:
Appendix A: Related ANA Enterprise’s 2020 – 2023 Strategic Goals
Appendix B: Engaging Members in the Call for Proposals
Appendix C: Proposal Form - Sample
Appendix D: 2021-2022 Timelines
2
Section 1: Questions to Consider Before Submitting a Proposal
To develop policies that effectively address nationally relevant challenges impacting nurses and the
practice of nursing and advance ANA’s strategic priorities, consider the following questions1 before
submitting a policy proposal:
1. What is the problem? Ensuring that the problem has been defined accurately is the most
important factor in finding a suitable solution. 2
2. What is the cause of the problem? Getting to the “root cause” of the problem facilitates the
identification of a long-term solution; when just the symptoms of the problem are addressed,
the result is often only a short-term fix.
3. What is the desired outcome? Understanding the varied perspectives of members,
stakeholders, and other beneficiaries helps to determine the tangible benefits (i.e., desired
outcomes) of solving the problem.
4. Why should ANA attempt to solve this problem? Making sure that the proposal addresses a
nationally relevant issue; aligns with ANA’s strategic priorities; and/or addresses a critical gap
where ANA doesn’t have relevant policy, or the existing policy is outdated ensures that the
Membership Assembly remains focused on essential, high-value policy work.
5. What other approaches have been tried? Finding solutions that might already exist within ANA
or identifying prior solutions that were not successfully implemented and why they did not
work prevents “reinventing the wheel”.
1
Adapted from BACon Blog by John Barnes: Great Association Policies: 5 Questions to Ask (Barnes Association Consultants)
2
Spradlin, Dwayne. (September 2012). Are you solving the right problem? Harvard Business Review
3Section 2: Membership Assembly Policy Development Process
The Professional Policy Committee facilitates the development of policies and positions by the
Membership Assembly.
The Professional Policy Committee:
1. Disseminates a Call for Proposals. Submitters can request that ANA:
a. Develop a new policy or position; or
b. Revise an existing policy or position.
2. Assesses each proposal.
3. Determines the action that will be taken on each proposal. (See Section 3)
Proposals must meet the following criteria:
1. Align with ANA’s strategic goals.
2. Address a nationally relevant issue facing nurses and the practice of nursing.
3. Not duplicate existing Association policies, positions, or ANA’s Bylaws.
4. Include citations for facts and figures.
5. Be submitted by the established deadline.
Proposals may be submitted by:
• Presidents and Chief Staff Executives of ANA’s Constituent/State Nurses Associations (C/SNAs),
or their designees.
• Chair and Chief Staff Executive of the Individual Member Division (IMD), or their designees.
• Presidents and Chief Staff Executives of ANA’s Organizational Affiliates (OAs), or their designees.
• Individual ANA-C/SNA or IMD members.
• Members of the ANA Board of Directors.
Individual ANA-C/SNA or IMD members are encouraged, but not required, to collaborate with their
C/SNA or the IMD on the development and submission of proposals.
4Section 3: Review of Proposals
The Professional Policy Committee:
1. Reviews all proposals to ensure compliance with required criteria. (See Section 2)
2. Takes one of the following actions for proposals requesting that ANA develop a new or revise an
existing policy or position:
a. Accepts the proposal or rejects the proposal based on identified criteria
b. For those meeting the criteria, the Professional Policy Committee will:
i. Recommend revisions and request re-submission
ii. Seek clarification from the submitter or ANA
iii. Suggest the topic be discussed via another venue (e.g., networking activity or lunch
time discussion at Membership Assembly, ANA Board of Directors meeting
c. For those proposals selected for a Dialogue Forum, the Professional Policy Committee shall
prioritize proposals based on the following:
i. Current relevance
ii. Scope of impact
iii. Feasibility of implementation
d. Selects the top ranked proposals for a Dialogue Forum based on the number that can be
accommodated within the allocated time for the Dialogue Forums.
3. Informs the ANA Board of Directors about the proposals that the Committee has approved and
moved forward for consideration by the Membership Assembly
4. Communicates the decision to the submitter of the proposal.
5. Communicates the required next steps to be completed by the submitter of an accepted
proposal.
6. Disseminates to the Membership Assembly participates the proposal as part of a background
document developed by the submitter.
Accepted proposals become the property of the Professional Policy Committee, which has the authority
to combine proposals and/or make modifications that it deems appropriate.
5Section 4: Consideration of Emergent Proposals
The submission of an emergent proposal should be avoided as much as possible. Emergent proposals
do not afford Membership Assembly Representatives sufficient time to review the background
materials or consult with colleagues to arrive at an informed decision regarding the proposal.
However, the Professional Policy Committee recognizes that a mechanism is needed for the submission
of an emergent proposal.
Criteria for an Emergent Policy Proposal
An emergent proposal must demonstrate that the issue:
1. is of great strategic importance to the nursing profession and to ANA;
2. is nationally relevant;
3. was not and could not have been known prior to the submission deadline; and
4. must be considered prior to the next meeting of the Membership Assembly.
Submission Procedure
1. Emergent proposals must be submitted by 12 Noon ET, on June 7, 2022.
2. The submission must include:
a. Completed Proposal Form
b. Justification of:
i. strategic importance of the issue to the nursing profession and to ANA;
ii. national relevance of the issue;
iii. why the issue could not have been known prior to the submission deadline;
and
iv. why the issue cannot be held until the next meeting of the Membership
Assembly.
c. Background document on the issue, including citations for facts and figures.
3. If the criteria for an emergent proposal is met, the Professional Policy Committee will:
a. determine how the proposal will be considered in light of the business that needs to be
conducted by the Membership Assembly and
b. collaborate with the submitter to ensure timely dissemination of materials to the
Membership Assembly.
6Section 5: On-Site Dialogue Forums
The Professional Policy Committee establishes the procedures for the on-site Dialogue Forums. At
each Dialogue Forum, time will be allocated for:
1. Short overview of the issue;
2. Briefing on activities related to the issue in which ANA, C/SNAs, IMD, and/or OAs are currently
engaged;
3. Facilitated discussion of the issue; and
4. Development of suggested recommendations to address the issue.
7Section 6: Report of the Professional Policy Committee
The Professional Policy Committee prepares a report for consideration by the Membership Assembly.
For each Dialogue Forum, the report will include a summary of the Membership Assembly’s discussion
along with broad recommendations for each.
For proposals requesting the development of a new or revision of an existing policy or position, the
Professional Policy Committee will take one of the following actions:
• Recommend adoption of the proposal as submitted;
• Recommend adoption of a revised proposal; or
• Propose a motion without recommendation.
For recommendations approved by the Membership Assembly, the ANA Board of Directors
determines the specific actions that will be taken to implement the recommendations in keeping
with its corporate and fiduciary authority and responsibility.
8Section 7: After the Membership Assembly Meeting
One of the responsibilities of Membership Assembly Representatives is to promote the
implementation of ANA policies and positions. ANA supports these efforts by preparing a summary of
the actions taken by the Membership Assembly on proposals to develop a new or revise an existing
policy or position, as well as the actions taken on the recommendations resulting from the Dialogue
Forums.
In addition, notification of the Membership Assembly’s actions will be disseminated to C/SNAs, the
IMD, Organizational Affiliates, and individual ANA members through various ANA communication
channels.
In the early fall, ANA staff develop work plans to implement the recommendations resulting from the
Dialogue Forums and present them to the ANA Board of Directors for consideration. An initial progress
report on work to advance the approved recommendations will be provided in March of the following
year; a second progress report will be provided at the next meeting of the Membership Assembly.
9Appendix A: Related ANA Enterprise 2020 - 2023 Strategic Goals
ANA Enterprise 2020 Strategic Goals – The goals and objectives listed below relate to ANA as a
professional association. The complete ANA Enterprise Strategic Plan can be found here
https://www.nursingworld.org/ana/about-ana/anae-strategic-plan-2020---2023/
Goal 1: Elevate the profession of nursing globally
Strategic Objective 1.1: Elevate the image of nursing in healthcare and with consumers.
While nurses spend the most time with patients than any other care provider and are considered
the most trusted professionals in America, opportunities exist to further advance the value and role
of nurses across diverse practice settings and in the minds of consumers. As health care continues
its transformation to a consumer-driven model, enhancing consumer awareness of and engagement
with nursing and promoting the credentialing of nursing globally will advance opportunities for
nurses and the profession. We will do this by achieving the following Key Results:
• Establish and maintain ANA Enterprise as the sought after/respected resource for the voice
of nursing
• Raise brand awareness of the ANA Enterprise
Goal 3: Evolve the practice of nursing to transform health and health care
Strategic Objective 3.1: Advance workforce priorities and improve the work environment
across diverse practice settings.
Nurses face challenges in their work environment, such as inadequate staffing, workplace violence,
bullying, and fatigue, which negatively impact the personal health of nurses and patient outcomes.
ANA will continue to advocate for and empower nurses and organizations with resources to create
healthy, productive, and effective work environments. We will do this by achieving the following Key
Results:
• Advance solutions to address nurse staffing
• Advance solutions to address workplace violence
• Improve nurses’ health by advancing Healthy Nurse Healthy Nation and other ANA
Enterprise wellness programs
• Respond to and influence the current and emerging needs of nurses during the COVID-19
public health crisis
• Enhance nurses’ disaster preparedness capabilities
Strategic Objective 3.2: Evolve nursing programs and practice priorities.
ANA’s programs, positions, and Code of Ethics guide the nursing profession and educate decision-
makers on nursing practices and policies. As health care delivery becomes increasingly complex,
ANA will continue to help nurses assume new and expanded roles in emerging areas of practice and
maintain the highest standards of quality in nursing practice and ethical obligations of the
profession. We will do this by achieving the following Key Results:
• Leverage ANA’s foundational work to advance professional nursing practice
• Advance priority nursing practice, policy, and advocacy issues
10Strategic Objective 3.3: Expand coverage and payment to reform health care.
Antiquated policies and reimbursement rules restrict access to nursing services and limit innovation
of new nurse-focused care delivery models. ANA will continue advocating for equitable payment for
nursing services, allowing nurses to practice at the top of their license, and equal reimbursement
rates when nurses provide the same services under the same billing codes. We will do this by
achieving the following Key Results:
• Advance parity in coverage and payment for nursing services in public and private health
care systems
• Expand efforts with the AMA RUC and CPT to facilitate coverage of and equitable
reimbursement for nursing services
• Advocate for continuation of the regulatory flexibilities implemented during the COVID-19
pandemic
• Advance models of payment reform and value based payment and care
Strategic Objective 3.4: Develop nurses to lead and innovate.
As health care continues to transform through new consumer-driven business models, emerging
technologies, and new forms of care delivery, an opportunity exists to further the role of nurses and
nursing in driving innovation and leading transformative change. We will do this by achieving the
following Key Results:
• Assist nurses in obtaining and communicating leadership roles that advance ANA Enterprise
goals
• Define, deliver, and communicate innovation research and projects that demonstrate the
future of the profession and its impact on health care transformation
• Complete future of practice, regulation, and education envisioning project
Strategic Objective 3.5: Address racism within the nursing profession.
Systemic issues of racism have been longstanding in the U.S. as well as in the nursing profession.
Racism leads to disparities in care. Nursing needs to look inward, reflect on, and acknowledge the
profession’s history, and make a conscious and sustained effort to end racism and all forms of
discrimination within the profession and practice of nursing. We will do this by achieving the
following Key Result:
• Advance the work to address racism within the nursing profession through a collaborative
approach with partner organizations
11Appendix B: Engaging Members in the Call for Proposals
Successful Approaches Used by State Nurses Associations
Below are the approaches of two state nurses associations that have proven successful at engaging
their members in the development and submission of proposals.
Florida Nurses Association (FNA)
1. Sends an email to all FNA members as well as FNA Board members soliciting their input on
issues/topics about which they are passionate AND that they feel should be addressed at the
national level.
2. Reviews the proposed issues/topics, along with “current events”, to determine their relationship
to nursing and health care and then further reviews them to determine those issues or topics
that might be most impactful at the national level.
3. Reads all ANA communications, forwards them to the FNA Board as appropriate for information
or includes them on a board meeting agenda.
4. Attempts to identify key FNA members who are interested in the issue or topic. As an example,
FNA advanced a reference proposal related to health care in the prison system that originated
through the state bargaining unit after prisons were privatized and quality of care, or the lack
thereof, was a frequent topic in media.
Minnesota Organization of Registered Nurses (MNORN)
1. During the MNORN elections, a question is placed on the e-ballot which describes ANA’s
Dialogue Forum process. MNORN members are asked what they would like ANA
Membership Assembly Representatives to discuss during the next Membership Assembly.
Members can free-form their suggestions for the next year’s Dialogue Forum topics.
2. After sorting responses into functional (like) categories, a survey is sent to all MNORN
members asking them to rank in order of importance the responses from the e-ballot. They
may also add topics or refine existing responses. Any topics ANA staff may have
recommended are also included.
3. The survey results are provided to the MNORN Board to inform their consideration of topics
to submit in response to ANA’s Call for Proposals.
4. The MNORN Board discusses the topics and selects two for submission as Proposals. For
2016, the MNORN Board only considered topics that MNORN members suggested; they did
not add any other topics that might be of interest to them as individuals.
5. MNORN members then receive the survey results that were provided to the MNORN Board,
the two topics the MNORN Board selected for submission as Proposals, and all supporting
documentation.
6. During National Nurses’ Week, MNORN holds a face-to-face meeting of MNORN members
to discuss the Dialogue Forum Topics approved by the ANA Board of Directors. A report of
12the discussion is sent to all MNORN members and informs MNORN’s representatives to the
Membership Assembly participation at Membership Assembly.
7. After Membership Assembly, a report of the ANA Dialogue Forums and their outcomes is
sent to all MNORN members.
13Appendix C: ANA Professional Policy Committee – Policy Proposal Form
1415
2022 ANA Professional Policy Committee – Policy Proposal Form
Please click on the link to access the 2022 ANA Professional Policy Committee - Policy Proposal Form.
Completed proposals must be submitted by 5:00pm ET, Monday, February 7, 2022.
When submitting an emergent proposal for consideration, see Section 4 for the additional elements
that are required. Completed proposals for emergent issues must be submitted by 12 noon ET,
Tuesday, June 7, 2022.
16Appendix D: 2021 - 2022 Timeline
DATE ACTIVITY
December 6, 2021 OPEN Call for Proposals
February 7, 2022 CLOSE Call for Proposals at 5:00pm ET
March 11, 2022 Communicate the decision of the Professional
Policy Committee to Submitters, C/SNA
leadership, and the ANA Board of Directors
March 11 – April 29, 2022 Prepare for Membership Assembly
• Dialogue Forums
o Prepare background document
o Prepare presentation, if necessary
o Identify speakers for ANA’s
consideration
• Policy Proposals
o Prepare new policy or prepare
revisions to existing policy
o Prepare presentation, if necessary
o Identify speakers for ANA’s
consideration
May 9, 2022 Disseminate policy documents and Dialogue
Forum materials to submitters and
Membership Assembly participants
June 7, 2022 Submit Emergent Issue Proposals by 5:00 pm
ET
June 10-11, 2022 Annual Meeting of the ANA Membership
Assembly
June 10, 2022 Hold on-site Dialogue Forums
June 11, 2022 Present Professional Policy Committee’s
recommendations to the ANA Membership
Assembly for consideration
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